Apparatus for carbonizing coal



Dec. 9, 1930. .1. MITCHELL 1,784,676

l APPARATUS FOR CARBONIZING COAL Filed Aug- 7, 1925 Y 5 Sheets-Sheet l 4X. 47` ff-4:3. (55 47 @WWW/MMA( IIU] HID] IUD] IIDII 11H33 Dec. 9, 1930. I- '.1.- MITCHELL 1,784,676

APPARATUS FOR CARBONIZING GOAL Filed Aug. 7, 1925 s Sheets-sheet 2 3 n \1- t i -l-l w \Q N a 3g s Q R x 1.20 w N r\ Q fmmm www/fm Dec. 9, 1930. J. MITCHELL 1384575 l l APPARATUS FOR CARBONIZING coAL Filled Aug. '7l 1925 V25 Sheets-:Sheet 3 to provide an improved apparatus whereby a v uniform product of high quality may be pro- Patented Dec. 9, 1930` UNITED STAT-Es PATENT omer;

JOI-.iN MITCHELL, or CLINTON, INDIANA, AssIGNOR TOOH'AROOLITE CORPORATION' or CLINTON, INDIANA, A CORPORATION or INDIANA y APPARATUS FOR CARBONIZING GOAL Application ledAugust 7, 1925. Serial No.148,75`6.

This invention relates to the carbonization or colring of coal, and its principal object 1s duced in a simple, economical and eiiicient manner.

More specifically, this invention relates to tainer immersed in a bath of fused salts, in

accordance with the broad disclosure made in Y prior applications of Richard Lee Rodgers, Serial No. 539,361, filed February 27, 1922, and Serial No. 591,008, filed September28, 5 1922, and this invention'may be considered an improvement'thereof with especial reference to the construction-of the apparatus used in carrying out the process. y j

The invention may best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in, which i Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a Y carbonizing unit taken on' the broken line 5 1-1 of Figure 2;

shown in Figure Figure 1; n

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 3 3 of Figure 2;

Figurev i is a detail viewof a' coking ele- J ment with parts broken away;

Figure 5 is a top view of the coling element shown in Figure Li;

Figure 6 is a bottom view of ment shown in Figure 4t;

Figure 7 is a view in side elevation of a portion of the apparatus. 4

The essential operating parts of the structure selected for illustrative purposes, may be seen in Figure 1 wherein is shown a carbonizing section 10 at the upper portion of the structure and discharge smothering and cooling pits 11 at the lower part of the structure. The important elements of the carbognizing section may be first described after which the structure as a whole will be described.

The carbonizing section 10 has a battery of carbonizing containers or elements 12,-12 preferably mounted in batteries or groups. In the form shown, four groups of five such the coking ele- Figure 2 is a plan sectional view of the unit' 1, taken on line 2 2 of f Y within the Inner casing 16, as will hereinafter containers are shown, as appears in Figure VReferring to the groupof iivefcontainers-5 shown in the lower left-hand` cornerv of the structure in Figure 2, each of the containers 1s long andnarrow and is arranged vertically of the carbomzing section 10. 'Details of each of such containers are shown in Figure 1v from which it will be seen .that theyfare built up of an outer cylindrical casing 15 and an inner cylindrical casing 16 spaced therefrom,

said casings being supported at their lower ends on a base member 17 and at their upper end in a cap member 18. j The cylindrical" l members l'and 16 are preferably made-of 4metal capable of resisting heat of fairly high tem-perature,'such as are used'in the process, and also capable of withstanding corrosion incidental tothe coking processes as well as" ,that of salts used in the coking bath. In the form of apparatus shown, a coking bath is placed in the chamber 20 between the outer casing 15 and the inner casing 16, while coal or similar material being carbonized is placed more fully appear. The base member 17 vhas an opening 21atk its' lower end-fofv suiiicient diameter to receive the-inner casing 16 `therein, in the form shown said-.casing having threaded engagement with said opening.

Closuremeans are; provided for this opening,

in the form shown this means comprising a door 22 carried on anarm `23 supported in Vouter casing 15 has threaded engagement.

An annular passage 29 is also provided within the base 17 for permitting circulation of water or other cooling agent to keep said base l cool, and also to assist in freezing or solidifying the bat-h at the lower joints to prevent leakage at these points. y

The cap member 18 at the top of the container is provided with an opening within which the inner casing 16 is secured and having a cover 81 fitting therein. Means forisecuring the cover in place comprisesV a link 32 having the cover 31 hinged at 33 centrally thereof, said'link being pivotally connected at one end to a lug 34 by means of'aconnecting member 35, and at the opposite end by a suitable detachable connection, as for instance, by a U-shaped yoke 36 pivoted at 37 to a lug 38 on the cap member and adapted to be swung over the free outer end of the link-32. An opening is provided adjacent the upper end of the inner coke containing sleeve `for permittingthe esca-pe of volatile this opening comprises a laterally extending passage or duct`40 through one side wall of the cap 18. The bath salts may befed or replenishedto the chamber 20 through plug 41 in cap l18. f

Referring again toY Figure 2 ,it will be observed that a plurality of coke containers 12 are arranged in vertical position parallel f with each other, each of said containers being in a compartment 45 formed between side walls 46-46 of iireresisting brick, or the like,

and separated from each other by transversei ly disposed walls 46a-46a. Heat is supplied to the battery through a fire-box 47 preferably arranged along one side of the battery.

The heat may be supplied fby any suitable source, as for instance, 'gas burn-ersl 44, discharging through oritices 48 at the lower end of the fire-box 47. The heatpasses over suit' able baffles 49, 49er-ranged toequa-liz'e the distributionk thereof thro-ugh ports 50 each of the chambers 45 vin which the -coki'ng elements are located. Said chambers are preferably of suchwidth so that the coking units 12-12' engage the intervening partiytions 46a-46a at oppositeY sides thereof so that the heating `gases pass upwardly in the chambers 45k and through :ports 51'-5l adjacent the upper end of said :containers and communicate with the opposite or inner side of the chambers 45. From thence thegases pass downwardly along the inner side ,of the containers and are discharged through :portsA forming an auxiliary inlet for gases opposite the transverse passages 51 so as to raise the ltemperature of the partially cooled gases which has passed upwardly from'ports 50,

50 near the bottom of the sideV wall 46 oppositey and thus tending to equalize the temperature on opposite sides of. the carbonizing containers.

In operation, the chamber 20 surrounding each of the coking containing elements is filled with fusible salts suitable for forming a bath. As an illustrative embodiment of the method of my invention, I employ a miX- ture of 21/2% of calcium chloride with 271/272; f'if'sodium chloride when dry, this being the eutectic mixture of these salts, that is rat-us.'

gases from the container. In the form shown, Y' y n ra'lity of vertical side walls 55-55 and endv The structure las a wholel comprises a pluwalls 56 and 57 made of hre-brick or the like.

'and 57 by suitable cross-members V60 are a plurality oi vbatteries of live carbomzmg elements 12-'-12 as previously described, the

"base members 17 of said containers being supported on the'cross-members 60, and pillars 61 and arches 62 supporting the upper carbonizing structure and the intermediate brick-work walls. At the outer sides :of each battery of five coke containers are the lireboxes 47*47, in this instance four such units being shown with their yrespective tireboxes. Any suitable source of heat may beused such asy gas burners 44, controlled by therinostatic regulation from the fused salt to maintain the baths at the desired temperafture,if desired. Such thermostatic regulating means are well known and are not shown herein. 'The passage of the gas from the ireboxesthrough the carbonizing units has already `beendescribed in Vconnection with onev of the units, and all of the units have a common discharge passage 53 through which the exhausted gases pass and through a common enlarged opening 67 at one end of the structure. VThe gas-escape ducts 40 at the top of the carbonizing elements 12 are connected to common Alead-off pipes 43. The shafts 25, 25 controlling the discharge doors 22 of the carbonizing elements 12, extend to the outside of the structure, and are operatedl by uibtable ratchet devices 25a, 25a and handle ln operation the space between the double walls of Yeach of the outer casings 15 and inner casings 16 being filled with fusible salt, the bath is brought to and maintained at the The smother-V proper temperature, preferably be,-V Ytween 1050o and 1200o F., depending upon CFI the grade of coal to be used, it beingunderstood that one of the principal features of the process is the provision of means for carbonization at relatively low temperatures. lIhe doors 22 being closed, the covers 3l being removed, the coke containers are iilled with coal from a traveling hopper or otherwise. The covers 3l being replaced and se'- cured, carbonizing starts and continues until the charge is completely carb-onized.

At the closing of the carbonizing operation, the doors 22 are opened and the carbonized product drops into the smothering pit, its discharge being facilitated if desired by a slight divergence ofthe inner Walls of the inner container l5 toward the bottom. Under ordinary circumstances, however, when the carbonizing operation is properly completed, with most coals, the carbonized product shrinks throughout its entire length so as to be readily discharged by gravity.- The doors 22 are then closed and the operation repeated. The carbonized product is removed from the smothering pit 11 at convenient times. l

It will be observed that the base plate 17 is located below thezone of maximum heat produced through the passageways or-chambers 45, and at the upper end of the smother-V ing or cooling pits l1. With a eutectic saline bath, such as described herein, it will be understood that leakage which otherwise is likely to occur at the lower part of the carbonizing elements is prevented due to the Yfact that a bath oit' this character will be frozen or solidified as soon as it reaches the cooler outside air. V

I claim as my invention:

i. In apparatus of the character described, a plurality of upright carbonizing elements, each comprising two concentric tubular members having their side walls spaced apart and closed at the lower end to form a bath chainber and containing a saline heating bath, the inner member having removable closures at the top and bottom thereof, and means for applying heat externally of said elements comprising a supporting structure having upright division walls Jforming separate heat chambers for each of said elements intermediate the upper and lower ends thereof.

2. .In apparatus of the character described, a plurality of upright carbonizing elements, each comprising two concentric tubulai inembers having their side walls spaced apart and closed at the lower end to form a bath chamber and containing a saline heating bath, the inner member having removable closures at the top and bottom thereof, and means for applying` heat externallyoi' said elements, comprising a supporting structure having upright division walls forming separate heat chambers for each of said elements intermediate the upper and lower ends thereof, and permittiiio' circulation from a common heating chamber upwardly on one sidel and downwardly on the opposite side of said elements.

3. In apparatus oi" the character described a plurality of upright carbonizing elements,

each comprising two concentric tubular members having their side walls spaced apart and closed at the lower end to form a bath chamber and containing a saline heating bath, the inner member having removable closures at theV top and bottom thereof, means for applying heat externally of said elements comprising a supporting structure having upright division walls forming separating heat chambers for each of lsaid ,elementsl intermediate tlie upperr and lower ends thereof, permitting circulation from a common heating chamber upwardly on one side' and downwardly on the opposite side of said elements, and baille means in said common heating chamber aording equalization of heat in the several chambers served thereby.

il. In apparatus of the character described,

an upright carbonizing element, comprising two concentrictubular members having their side walls spaced apart and containing a saline heating bath, a base member supporte the lower ends oi said members and closing the lower end of the space between thein,`and means for applying heat externally of said element', said base member extending their side walls spaced apart to form a bath chamber with the upper and lower ends there-A of projecting beyond Asaid heating cli amber,

said bath chamber containing a saline heating bath and means for causing gases from the heat generating element topass upwardly on Y i one. side and downwardly on the other side of each container, and auxiliary ingress means from said heat generating element to each of said heating chambers adjacent the top thereof. f

Signed at Clinton this 11th day of July,

JOHN MITCHELL.

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